SCARBOROUGH — Maine, not unlike most states, is facing one of the highest shortages of skilled trades workers. In 2017, a global staffing firm reported that skilled-trade vacancies are the hardest jobs to fill and remain the No. 1 job vacancy from 2010 to present. In response, four well-known Maine-based business leaders created the “Maine Blue Collar Scholarship Foundation” as an incentive to graduating high school students to pursue trade school. In 2018, the foundation awarded $21,000 in scholarships to 26 students ranging from $500 to $2,500.